More Support Planned to Ease Electric Bill Burden

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:00 JST, January 31, 2023

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he plans to take further action to reduce the burden caused by surging electricity prices in accordance with the economic situation.

“We’ll take whatever measures necessary without hesitation,” he told the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives.

The government’s electricity rate reduction program is now up and running, starting from energy used in January, but further support for households is already being mulled out of concern rates could push still higher.

Regarding the expansion of child allowances to strengthen measures against declining birth rates, Kishida said: “One of the [government’s] basic principles for supporting children and child rearing [parents] is to strengthen economic support, with a focus on child allowances.” He expressed his intention to hasten the consideration of specific measures.

With regard to the proposal by Toshimitsu Motegi, the secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, that the income limit for parents to receive child allowances should be removed, Kishida merely said, “I understand that’s one opinion.”